Sweet Revenge
by Seph
Summary: There is a new case for the Shinigami pair to solve, but in the midst of it, Tsuzuki managed to get himself captured by a certain doctor.
1. Headless Corpses

Author's Note: I haven't written in a long time, and this is my first attempt at writing a Yami no Matsuei fanfic. I hope the quality isn't too poor. I only watched the anime version and totally missed the manga, so... *shrugs* Hope you enjoy this.  
  
Chapter 1: Headless Corpses  
  
"Eversince Hisoka joined him, Tsuzuki seemed to have slacked off less." Tatsumi stared down at the grid that appeared to be prove for his words. The upside down thing stared back blankly at him. It annoyed him enough to cause him to reach down and turn the thing around.  
  
Konoe nodded as Tatsumi adjusted his his glasses with the first three fingers on his right hand. By the time he was finished, he found Konoe looking at him with a soft smile on his wrinkled, old face. "Perhaps you're right, Tatsumi. Hisoka may just be the perfect partner for Tsuzuki after all. This pairing is doing the both of them good." Konoe looked back down at the sign out records spread out on his desk. For the whole of last month, the space after Tsuzuki's name remained empty from sign outs. It was the first time in 53 years that the whole month was clear of anyone signing out. The last time it happened, it was because Tsuzuki spent a week in the hospital near the beginning of the month and went on a three week vacation after that. It was also the last time Tsuzuki got to keep his bonus.  
  
"Perhaps he finally changed his lazy ways," Tatsumi suggested. His own tone though, proved he believed otherwise.  
  
"If that was true, we should be worried that he's possessed by another demon," Konoe joked in reply. Both boss and secretary chuckled, with Tatsumi sounding slightly more reserved, at the unlikeness of Tatsumi changing for the better. He had been like that for over 71 years, and Tatsumi doubted he would change for no reason, at least not in the next century.  
  
"Tatsumi, would you please retrieve Tsuzuki and Hisoka for me? I'll meet you guys in the meeing room. There's a new case for them." Konoe stood up and walked over to the new filing cabinet he got for his office. The thing was glossy and shiny, made from fine oak back in ChiJou where humans dwelled in such things as furniture. From there, he got out a folder labeled 'Kyushu'.  
  
"Is it regarding the mass deaths over the past two weeks?"  
  
The eldest of the division nodded and turned around to face his secretary seriously. "Yes, it is."  
  
Tatsumi returned the serious look but without the grave grave nod. "I'll get them right away." With that, the very serious and more than slightly greedy Shinigami left the room heading for the main workroom.  
  
On his way down the hall, Tatsumi's thoughts drifted to the sign out board results for the recently past month. Tsuzuki had not even signed out once to buy sweets and or cakes. That was unlike the lazy man he knew. The normal Tsuzuki signed out at least once a week. There was even once when he had signed out every single day for a whole week, causing him to be late for every meeting they held within the same week. Of course, Konoe was not overly happy about that, and thinking back, neither was Tatsumi himself.  
  
"Maybe he really is sick or something..." This strange behavior was enough to get Tatsumi worried about him.  
  
Meanwhile, in the main workroom, the sweet-toothed Shinigami was currently raising a delicious looking, mouth watering, sugar covered pastry to his mouth when he heard a certain secretary's voice muttering behind him, "I take back everything I said." Realizing Tatsumi was standing merely inches over his shoulder, Tsuzuki quickly sat up in his chair and leaned over to cover the other two pastries he had on his desk possessively.  
  
Hisoka, seated in the chair beside his partner, rolled his eyes and gave Tsuzuki such a look that makes one wonder how could the boy stand being the partner of the older Shinigami. When the initial commotion was over, the younger Shinigami returned his attention back onto the thick tome he borrowed from their newly repaired library.  
  
"Tsuzuki, finish your food later. Konoe wants to have a word with the two of you." Tatsumi's tone was a no nonsense one, and the two partners knew enough to place down what they held in their hands, though not without a bit of reluctance and whining from Tsuzuki. With all three pastries on his desk, Tsuzuki looked down wistfully at his wonderful meal before he got up and followed Tatsumi and Hisoka out of the room.  
  
By the time they arrived to the meeting room, Konoe was already waiting for them inside. "Where's the GoShoShin brothers?" Hisoka asked on his way in. Tsuzuki and Tatsumi followed in behind him. While Tatsumi joined Konoe near the front, the other two sat down at the chairs in the center of the room.  
  
"Yeah, and where's Watari too?" Tsuzuki added to his partner's previous question. Aside from the four of them, the room was empty of all other occupants when it was usually full of people whenever they have a case briefing.  
  
"The Gushoshin finally went on their vacation breaks, which was delayed due to the reconstruction of the library." Tatsumi looked right at Tsuzuki when he said that. Although it was not a glare, it was still enough to cause Tsuzuki to cringe and bury himself deeper into his seat. Despite there were only the four of them in the room, Hisoka still tried to pretend that he does not know Tsuzuki.  
  
"Watari's sent away on another case," Konoe replied as he set the slides up. Things were going slower than normal, since he rarely had to do everything himself. If anyone missed the GuShoShins the most, it was him, because now he had to do everything himself.  
  
The news that Watari was off investigating something surprised Tsuzuki so much that it caused the Shinigami to leap from his seat. "He's on a case?! But the sixth block haven't need of a Shinigami for...." Pausing in midsentence, Tsuzuki tried to remember the number of years in question when Konoe's cough cut him off.  
  
As soon as he got everyone's attention, the boss of the division started the meeting. "There are mass murders taking place in Kyoto. The Earl reported strange snuffings of candles that are happening ten at a time. What is strange about these snuffings is that none of the candles' owners belong on the kiseki." Konoe followed his words with a slide showing the bloody neck slumps of the mentioned victims. "All victims have their heads cut off, making identification hard for the humans. It would appear that they are gnawed off by a huge type of beast. As to what, it totally eludes humans."  
  
Tsuzuki turned away from the gruesome sight to see Hisoka looking almost as pale as his green eyes. Not that he could blamethe poor boy. The slides on the projector screen were some of the worst ones he had seen even in his many years of experience.  
  
"Twenty people died already," Tatsumi continued for Konoe while the latter person thankfully changed the slide to one of a map. "It would appear that both sets of crimes are committed on late Saturday nights, early Sunday mornings, between 10 pm to 7 am. The victims are not killed together, and the corpses are found in various spots around the same area. It would also appear that the victims are killed at hourly intervals."  
  
"Why only Sunday mornings?" Tsuzuki asked with earnest.  
  
"That's what you're going to find out." The look Konoe gave Tsuzuki made the younger Shinigami shrink back into his seat once again.  
  
"EnmaDaiOh also placed a time limit on us. The two of you are to solve this before the next complete set of victims appear. The souls of these people, which don't belong to the kiseki are causing problems for Meifu," Tatsumi continued as Konoe started putting things away. The light reflecting off the secretary's glasses reminded Tsuzuki of the way people portrayed mad scientists or mad doctors in bad science-fiction movies or animes, but that train of thought reminded him of Muraki, a person he definitely didn't want to think about.  
  
"Tsuzuki! Tsuzuki!"  
  
Tsuzuki finally snapped out of it to find Hisoka glaring impatiently at him. Embarrassed to be caught drifting off and thinking they must be waiting for his assent on the case, he jumped out of his seat for the third time and saluted to Konoe and Tatsumi. "Don't worry, we'll get right on it!" He only paused when he found them all staring back at him as if they had no idea what he was doing. Tatsumi was holding an arm out with a packet of lunch money clutched at the end of it.  
  
"We're glad to see you have enthusiasm for this case. Keep it up, Tsuzuki." It was the only thing Konoe could say in such an awkward situation while Tatsumi handed the money over.   
Without waiting, the food loving Tsuzuki unceremoniously tore open the envelope to check its contents. "6000 ¥!! Tatsumi! You are so great!" Tsuzuki hugged the pictured envelope to himself as tightly as if it was an apple pie.  
  
The way Tsuzuki looked with his beaming smile and tail wagging was so innocent, it made Tatsumi almost hate having to pop his happy bubble with the truth, but he did so in the end anyway. "That is for both you and Hisoka. You are getting 3000 ¥ each."  
  
It was comical, the way Tsuzuki's puppy face looked crestfallen instantly. Tsuzuki sighed and his shoulders slumped. He should have known Tatsumi's too greedy to give him an extra few thousand just so he could get himself the most important part of a meal, dessert. One day, he was sure Tatsumi would appreciate dessert and its importance. In the meantime, he was just wondering if Hisoka would be nice enough to share his share when the boy came up behind him and grabbed the envelope out from his grasp. "Hey!" Too late, Tsuzuki could only watch as Hisoka took his 3000 ¥ out.  
  
"You're not eating my share!"  
  
The other two only laughed pitilessly as Tsuzuki sighed. 


	2. Partners and Brothers

Author's Note: I have no idea what's the whole point of this chapter. Just another bit of plot building I guess. So don't blame me if it doesn't make sense. And the characters look strangely ooc. Please R&R!  
  
Chapter 2: Partners and Brothers  
  
"I haven't had a decent cake in weeks! Tsuzuki complained as he stared longingly at the delicious looking pastries in a bakery/cake store window. It was his favorite store, the one that made the wonderful chestnut cakes, and he was pratically drooling with desire for one. Unfortunately, the store was closed. "The owner went on vacation for weeks now..." Tsuzuki continued to whine.  
  
"Ah... that's why you haven't signed out lately," Hisoka muttered to himself. That solved the mystery of why Tsuzuki had not signed out for more than two weeks straight. Even Hisoka had noticed something was strange about his partner.  
  
"What?" Tsuzuki turned around and looked at his partner, whom was staring up at the bright sky. White clouds floated on a clear blue sky. The day was about as clear as Tsuzuki's mood was. And since Hisoka was busy, he spun his head around and went ahead with staring at the food again.  
  
"Nothing," Hisoka answered with his eyes still glued to the sky. The endless tone of light blue was hypnotizing. "The murders happen once at every end of the week. It's Saturday already. Tsuzuki, we have to hurry and solve this by tonight." Hisoka looked down to find his partner still staring dreamily at the closed store window. "Are you even listening? Stop staring!"  
  
"Hmm... yeah." Finally, Tsuzuki drew his eyes from the wonderful looking cakes to look at his young partner. Hisoka can't exactly replace his favorite apple pie which was displayed alongside with the chestnut cream filled cakes, but it would have to do. "Well, since we still don't have any clues yet, why not grab a lunch first?" Without waiting, Tsuzuki already started ahead to walk without his partner.  
  
"Wait, Tsuzuki! We have to solve this first."  
  
The purple eyed Shinigami paused long enough to hear Hisoka's belly give off a loud, thunderous rumble. He smiled and spun on his heel to face the boy, and was surprised to see his partner blushing brightly in front of him. [Hisoka blushes so easily. Strange for a boy with such a cold outer shell,] Tsuzuki thought as he reached out and dragged his partner along with him. "You're hungry too. Come on, let's get going!"  
  
Twenty minutes later they were found sitting on stone steps under a clear blue sky interrupted more frequently by fluffy looking white clouds. Each of them had a box of take-out sobas in hand while Tsuzuki had an extra empty box on the step beside him already. He had polished off the first and more than half way through his second when Hisoka finished up his first one. Hisoka waited in silence as Tsuzuki demolished his lunch.   
  
Tsuzuki drew out every last bit of broken noodle and drank down the soup before he, at long last, declared himself, "Finished!" A few more seconds later, and Tsuzuki turned to face Hisoka to ask casually, "Are you finished as well?" Hisoka's affirmative noise was cut in half. Before he finished, Tsuzuki had continued on, "Really, Hisoka? That's great!" Hisoka turned and looked suspiciously at his happy partner, which was currently looking down at his empty box of soba.   
  
Just as Hisoka suspected Tsuzuki to be plotting something, the person in question raised his head and gave him a carefree smile. "Well, since you're full already, and the soba only costed 1500 ¥, can I have the other 1500 ¥ for desert?"  
  
Hisoka blinked and stared blankly at the purple eyed man until the words registered. When they finally did, the only think he could think of to say was, "Baka!"  
  
  
Half an hour later, inside a high classed restaurant, Hisoka propped his head on a hand and stared boredly at Tsuzuki finishing the last bit of strawberry cheesecake. He had no idea how Tsuzuki conned him into it, but there they sat in one of the more expensive cake houses in Kyoto, with Hisoka offering to pay 1300 ¥ for a lousy piece of cheesecake that he was not even eating himself. But it was worth it, he supposed, to see Tsuzuki so lighthearted and happy.   
  
Involuntarily, he thought back to the last few months. During the recovery period following Tsuzuki's kidnapping and suiciding in the midst of Touda's flames, the older man was withdrawn and silent. It reminded Hisoka of the week just before the incident, where Tsuzuki got drunk and cried to sleep in his arms. He had no idea what Muraki said to his partner, but the pain it brought on Tsuzuki was enough to scare him. Looking at Tsuzuki now, he was just glad that the older man recovered, for both his own sake and Tsuzuki's.  
  
"Sankyu, Hisoka!" Tsuzuki's exclamation brought Hisoka out of his gloomy thoughts.  
  
"Ungh," Hisoka made a sound and fetched from his jeans 1400 ¥. Tossing the money onto the table on top of the paper receipt, he got up and was followed by Tsuzuki.  
  
"Sankyu!" Tsuzuki said again all puppyishly as the two of them exited the air conditioned restaurant to stand beneath the bright glaring sun. For the third time that week, Tsuzuki considered changing out of his black trench coat. Even though it was only spring, the bright glare of the sun was still enough to boil the Shinigami beneath the heavy, black leather coat. But he could not help it. He liked the black, and this trench was his favorite outfit. He had worn the same coat for over a decade already. He did not want to change it now. He sighed. Guess he will have to bear the heat.  
  
"So, where are we heading now?" Again, Tsuzuki turned and smiled in his normal cheerful smile that was his trademark. Tsuzuki was Tsuzuki. No one could replace his cheery attitude. It always amazed Hisoka how both he and Watari could be such happy people, even after death. It was totally beyond of his comprehension.  
  
"Uh..." At Tsuzuki's sudden question, Hisoka found himself tongue tied. Where are they going? He had no idea. Until the next set of murder begins, there was no way of finding the culprit or anything. A thing for sure though, whoever, or more correctly, whatever, killed those humans was not human. A demon perhaps? Hisoka doubted it was a wild animal. After a moment of thought, Hisoka came up with an answer for Tsuzuki's questions. "I want to go see the corpses."  
  
Tsuzuki grimaced visibly and tried to keep his lunch down. Doing an autopsy on headless corpses right after lunch was not his ideal idea of spending an afternoon. As a Shinigami, he suppose he has to do what a Shinigami has to do. He might as well go and take a look at the corpses. It might give the both of them some insight on the case. At the rate they were solving the case by, it would appear that they will need all the insights they get. "Come on, let's go."  
  
They walked to the morgue in relative silence, which Hisoka found strange. With each step they took, Tsuzuki seemed to grow quieter. It was unusual. Normally, Tsuzuki was as hard to quiet down as Watari, for both of them were the talkative type, but today, Tsuzuki was reverting back to the way he acted a month or so ago, silent and full of secrets. Last time, it drove Hisoka nuts seeing Tsuzuki like that. The older man had offered help when he needed it, yet when he knew Tsuzuki needed help, the older man would not accept it.  
  
Finally, a step away from the storage place of dead bodies, Hisoka stopped and turned to look at his partner. It took Tsuzuki three steps forward before he realized he left his partner standing behind. "Huh, Hisoka, is something wrong?"  
  
"I should be asking you that. Is something wrong? You've been quiet the whole afternoon. I said it before, I'm saying it now. It doesn't fit you, Tsuzuki."  
  
"Honto?" The older Shinigami was quick to give a casual smile. For some reason though, Hisoka thought that smile looked rather plain. It was as if the sunshine was gone from it.  
  
"Tsuzuki..."  
  
"Daijoubu, don't worry, ne?" Tsuzuki cut in before Hisoka could continue. The boy appeared to hesitate slightly before he sighed and gave in. Last time, when he pushed him, Tsuzuki sealed himself up even more. With others, he may push, but with Tsuzuki, he would just have to wait. Tsuzuki really helped to train his patience. He sighed and looked at the man. Sometimes, he wondered if Tsuzuki really was cheerful or if it was all just a facade.  
  
"Come on. Let's go in." Hisoka nodded and together, they went into invisible mode and walkd into the place of the dead.  
  
  
"Are you alright?" Tsuzuki asked after again seeing his partner gasp and hurl over the sewer holes. The two of them were standing before the morgue. The two of them got in and did their business, and got out as soon as possible. Hisoka, still being young and new to the Shinigami business, didn not have the stomach for that type of work, and currently, his whole digested lunch was on display for public eyes to see.  
  
When Hisoka was unable to answer, Tsuzuki digged into his pocket and drew out a white handkerchief. "Here," he said, offering it to the boy. The blond boy stopped and looked back up at him. Tsuzuki's careless smile won Hisoka over. The boy was even smiling when he reached up and took the white piece of cloth. "Domo," he murmured.   
  
A few more hurls later, Hisoka used to the cloth to wipe away the bitter bile that clotted at the corners of his mouth. He did not want to soil the clean square of white, but he knew Tsuzuki would feel insulted if he did not used the kerchief in his hand. Tsuzuki was like that, friendly and dependable.   
  
"Feeling better now?" The only reply he could give the Shinigami was a weak nod. At least he was not hurling yesterday's dinner out. Green eyes looked up to find purple ones looking down at him with genuine care. It was enough to remind Hisoka of a big brother he never had but longed for. 


	3. Stalker in the Shadows

Chapter 3: Stalker in the Shadows  
  
The trip to the morgue proved to be a futile one. The bodies did not turn up any new information. All they did were confirm suspicions and made Hisoka lose his lunch. Tsuzuki sighed and continued clacking away slowly on the keyboard. The picture on the monitor screen changed from a document on the victims to one with two maps of Kyoto. On each of them were 10 dots, indicating the spots where the victims were found.  
  
Tsuzuki looked at the two similar maps. The locations to where the first set of victims were discovered was set up in a large circle. As to the second one, the pattern was no so obvious. The dots were placed as two pentagons, a bigger one surrounding an upside down, smaller one. Tsuzuki stared at the two pics until his eyes blurred. First circles, then pentagons, what was next? Squares? And he had to find out quickly too. The the first murder would be at 10:00, and it was 9:30 already. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned.  
  
Balancing two cups of tea in one hand and a thick book the other, Hisoka came in and sat down beside his partner. "Here's your tea. Any luck?" He placed both tea cups down next to the computer and dragged his chair up closer to Tsuzuki. The older Shinigami shook his head before taking up tea cup and drank deeply from it. It took three seconds to drink from the cup, and only one second to spit it all back out again.  
  
"Itai!! Hot hot hot!" Having burned his tongue, Tsuzuki stuck it out comically until it healed itself.   
  
Hisoka on the other hand, did not find it so amusing. "What a mess!" he exclaimed. His eyes fell onto the monitor that was dripping with herbal tea. Bits of tea leaves were scattered all over the screen like weird little fruit flies sticking to an open melon.  
  
"Goman lathai..." Tsuzuki appologized with his tongue still out. To make up for his mispronounced words, he took out another kerchief and was beginning to wipe the mess he made on the monitor when Hisoka's arm shot out to stopped him. When the piece of burned muscle was finally healed, Tsuzuki retracted it back into his mouth before he asked, "What is it, Hisoka?"  
  
The boy held up a hand and walked another step towards the screen. In fact, he was leaning so close to it, his nose was only inches away from the monitor. Tsuzuki opened his mouth to comment, but before the first sound could come out, he was interrupted by his partner. "Combine the two maps."  
  
"What?" Tsuzuki tilted his head to peep at the maps around Hisoka's head. "What do you mean?"  
  
Hisoka pulled himself back from the monitor and stood with arms crossed beside Tsuzuki. He left the tea and leaves where they were because he was afraid that the slightest movements could move the leaves position. When he first saw the mess, he was upset that his ungainly partner might have ruined the library computers permanently, but at a closer inspection, he realized this mistake lead to something that did not occure to them. They were viewing the murders as separate cases committed by the same guilty party, but in fact, these murders could be a piece of the whole picture. Some of the tea leaves showed Hisoka that by landing on one map in the places that corresponded with a few of the murders on the other.   
  
"Pile the locations for the murders onto the same map," Hisoka repeated himself. He watched silently as Tsuzuki followed his instructions.  
  
The end result on the screen surprised both of them. The dots for the bigger pentagon fell perfectly into line with the dots in the circle at constant intervals. Where there were large gaps between every two dots before, now was a dot from the pentagon, making the circle complete. Something still looked wrong though. To them, the red dots appeared to hold another secret they could not figure out.   
  
Tsuzuki sighed. The dots were like eyes, and each pair were laughing back mockingly at his failure to decode them. He had to stop this. Even if EnmaDaiOh had not put a time limit on them, he himself would want to solve this case before any more victims appeared. Each red dot on that screen meant a life was sucked away into the darkness. He wanted no more of that. No more lives being wasted.  
  
He clicked print and humming printer produced two copies of the new combined map, one of which he handed over to Hisoka. "We don't have a lot of time. It's only 15 minutes until the next murder. Let's get back to Kyoto."  
  
Tsuzuki's suggestion was met with a nod by Hisoka.  
  
  
An ear splitting scream pierced through the air. It was not a completed one though, because before it could trail to an end, it was abruptly stopped.  
  
"Shimatta!" The two partners turned to look at each other before taking off at the same time in a race to get to the owner of the voice.  
  
In the darkness which they were given birth from, they pumped their legs and ran in the direction that they heard the scream coming from. Although the shrill sound of the woman's voice no longer hung in the air, it still rang within both their eardrums like an echo refusing to die. It pushed them forward, until they saw a shadow slumped against the walls of the alleyway ahead. In the midst of their emotions, not one of them noticed the blood red moon raising above their heads, nor the person that lurked in the shadow watching them.  
  
Even before they approached, they knew what to expect. The slumped figure was not moving, and no doubt she was dead. The way the life force felt missing to Hisoka only confirmed their suspicions.   
  
"Che," Tsuzuki muttered under his breath while he crouched down to inspect the corpse. Again, the head was missing and blood was still spirting out from the stump. He lowered a hand to touched the body, and the spread of warmth from the headless corpse almost made his heart skip a beat. It was just so wrong. Another life gone, and he silently blamed himself for not being able to stop it from happening. He sighed and stood up.  
  
While his partner went ahead to inspect the forage the body for any clues that may reveal themselves, Hisoka hung back to the side of the alley. Being a Shinigami, he should not be squeamish, and he was not, but seeing twenty headless corpses was enough for one day. This twenty first one that offered itself could be skipped over.  
  
"Do you have your map here?" In reply, Hisoka took out a piece of paper folded into quarters from his jeans pocket. Unfolding it, he handed it over to his violet eye colored partner. Upon taking the page, Tsuzuki plotted down the newest dot and stared at the improved map. It was not much. The new dot stood in the middle of nowhere, standing in a spot that was between the circle and the upside down pentagon. In fact, it was standing in the center between two dots that form part of the smaller and larger pentagon shapes on the second map.  
  
"There's obviously a pattern here, but what?" Hisoka asked as he stared down at the piece of paper in Tsuzuki's hand.  
  
"Mou, Watari should be the one looking at this. Why did he have to go off on a case right at this moment? He's the one computer genius and decoder. Mou," Tsuzuki complained as he stared down at the riddle as well. "At least we still have an hour before the ne--"  
  
Before the older of the two could finish with what he began saying, another scream interrupted his words. This one was like the last one. It lasted for several seconds before it was cut off again. An eerie silence settled down unnaturally after the high pitched sound, and along with it brought the feeling of dread.  
  
"Too soon!" Tsuzuki was complaining as they raced down the alleyway in unison. But even before they could run down the length of the dimly lit alley, a third scream erupted from the opposite direction.  
  
"Split up," Tsuzuki commanded. Hisoka looked hesitant, but the older Shinigami made the decision for them. As soon as they came to a split in the alley, Tsuzuki raced down the opposite side of the one Hisoka had chosen.  
  
Back behind them in the shadows, the person watching them remained emotionless. Standing under the shadows casted from the light of the red moon, he slowly turned and followed in a leisurely walk the path that the more experienced Shinigami had gone before. 


	4. Caught

Author's Note: I'm writing this story as directly after the anime disregarding the manga. So it would mean it's done right after Volume 8 without regard to Volume 9 and 10. Considering I only saw the anime, and the fact that the manga is still unfinished, it seems logical for me to pick the last point of reference I do have to base my fanfic after.  
  
Chapter 4: Caught  
  
The fuda he held aloft in his two fingers disintegrated to a million tiny pieces of paper after blocking the powerful, close-up blast of flame from the hideous ten headed hydra. Hydras were known to have nine heads, so the one standing before the Shinigami was an abnormality.  
  
By the time Tsuzuki got to the crime scene the victim was already dead. It was fortunate though, or unfortunate depending on how you look at it, that the monster was still there, biting off the head of its victim. Three of its ten purplish heads were bloody, so Tsuzuki guessed those were the ones that fed. Now came the question of who summoned and controlled the beast.  
  
The Shinigami leapt into the air just in time to barely avoid getting blasted by the fiery breaths of the creature. Landing several feet away, Tsuzuki sighed in relief when he saw the large hole in the ground the blast had caused. Good thing he jumped away in the nick of time. He hated to imagine what would happen otherwise. A blast like that would most definitely hurt for a long while.  
  
The monster was still rearing its heads in preparation for another blast when Tsuzuki began his incantation. Raising his hands above him in a grand gesture, the Shinigami brought them back down together and went into the finer finger details in his summoning ritual. "I pray to the twelve gods who protect me," he started the familiar lines. By then, the ten headed thing was ready and sent another large burst of flame in the Shinigami's direction.  
  
Being caught in the middle of the summoning, Tsuzuki couldn't really move from where he stood unless he started the whole ritual all over again. Automatically, his world became one that was surrounded by fire. Even so, the Shinigami within remained unfazed as he calmed his mind and continued with the calling. "Come before me."  
  
Unknown to anyone but the person involved, while Tsuzuki was intent on casting the spell to call for the help of his Shikigamis, someone else was busy casting another spell. Even though there were not enough blood sacrafices to seal the realm off completely, there were still enough to temporarily seal off the gates to Gensoukai, therefore cutting off the Shinigami's help from his spiritual deities.  
  
Still hidden in the shadows of the back alley, the figure closed his eyes before raising his hands and crossing them before his face. At the same moment he opened his eyes, twenty pillars of light rose into the air around them. One by one like in a child's game of connect the dots, the pillars connected to form whole lines of light in the form of a star within a large circle. One of such lines crossed right in front of Tsuzuki, in the spot where the victim's body was.  
  
Startled, Tsuzuki dropped the incantation and stared at the walls of light that suddenly erupted around him. The things reached all the way to the heavens, and they lit up the night sky brighter than any sun could.  
  
Now that he was no longer in the process of summoning Byakko, Tsuzuki instantly leapt out of the circle of flames which had him surrounded, and not a moment too soon. The tendrils of fire was already licking at the ends of his long trench coat when he jumped to safety. "Whew, that was a close one," he murmured while opening up his leather coat. He felt as if he just emerged from a heated oven.  
  
"At least the monster is with me and not with Hisoka," the Shinigami muttered under his breath. His expression grew serious again as he looked up at the hydra. The thing was reeling its heads again, ready to incinerate Tsuzuki with another blast. This time though, Tsuzuki swore he will not allow the monster to catch him off guard.  
  
He still had no idea what made those lights appeared, but something inside him told him normal humans cannot see this strange phenomenon. Another thing continued to bother Tsuzuki though, and he had no doubt it was related to these lights as well. He had lost contact with all his Shikigamis. Even when he does not call upon them, there was still a tenuous link between him and them, but now, even that was gone. It scared him, this feeling of abandonment, but he could worry about that later. At the moment, he had to find a way of banishing the monster back to whichever hell it escaped from.  
  
Tsuzuki leapt easily out of the way as another blast came at him. It was going to be tough, but if he could not get rid of it, the least he could do was freeze the ugly thing. From within his large coat, he retrieved another one of his fudas and held it in front of him while he crossed his other hand before the retangular piece of paper.  
  
"No, we can't have that, Tsuzuki-san," the person hidden in the shadow of the beast said softly. It was not something meant to be heard, and even if it was, the noise of the burning fire and the roaring hydra was enough to drown whatever noise the hidden man made.   
  
The man in the shadows smiled sinisterly to himself as he raised his hands and casted a new spell, one that was completely different from the Shinigami's but similar in nature. He did not have all of his equipment with him, but he still managed to complete it before Tsuzuki; probably because there was less movements involved, and less spell casting. Black magic always worked faster.  
  
One minute, he was still saying the eight symbols in his incantation, and the next, Tsuzuki found himself held in his gestures as if time itself froze around him. Even if he could speak, he could not complete the final gesticulations needed to finish the spell. And that also meant he was in deep trouble, for the monster already had one of its maws open for yet another blast of fire. It was painful, to watch the fireball coming and unable to do anything to stop it.  
  
"Don't worry, Tsuzuki-san, nothing can happen," whispered the man overlooking the whole thing.  
  
Helpless and caught like a fish on land, Tsuzuki could only close his eyes and wait for the blast to hit him. He waited... and waited. Even a few more seconds later, nothing but a thunderous noise and a bit of heat rolled over him. No pain, no blood, no harm. "Huh?" He tentatively opened one eye to look around, and it would seem nothing changed.   
  
But then he noticed it. Something did change. Shimmering around him was a thin film of substance that was clear to the naked eye. Having used those many times himself, Tsuzuki knew what it was even before the man that casted it stepped out from the shadows to tell him.  
  
"Hello, Tsuzuki-san, we meet again. Yes, the baria saved you." The man tilted his head as if to observe his caught prey while a baleful smile gave him an even colder look. If it was possible, the man looked even more evil than Tsuzuki remembered.  
  
Trapped and unable to move, the Shinigami could do no more than hiss the other man's name with all the hatred he felt. "Muraki..."  
  
  
Author's End Note: Sorry that this part took so long. I got really depressed and annoyed, and was sick for half the time while writing it. I hope the characters are not too out of character. Sumimasen if they are. 


	5. Torment

Author's Note: This chapter took a heck a lot longer than I thought it would, but it's finally out. Went into depression, ff.net going down, and a 2 week long vacation. The long awaited, hinted, and teased part of the story... or at least the beginning of it. I've never written lemon before, so I don't know about the quality. I apologize for the quality and the long wait, but please, readers, enjoy yourselves.  
  
Chapter 5: Torment  
  
"Muraki..."  
  
"Yes, Tsuzuki-san." The man dressed in white began to approach the frozen Shinigami. Unlike the other times Tsuzuki had seen the man, Muraki's face was not covered with the mask of mocking desire nor did the faint smile that always touched his lip exist. The emotionless cold mask was even scarier than all of Muraki's actions added together. It was something Tsuzuki was not used to seeing, and therefore he could not predict what the man would do next.   
  
He never was able to predict Muraki's actions, but at least they always followed a certain string of events. This time though, the strange gleam in Muraki's visible eye told him of otherwise. Stuck in Muraki's spell and unable to predict what his enemy wanted made him uneasy, but he never had the time to dwell on that. The silver haired man had walked up to him, and before he knew it, he was knocked unconscious.  
  
  
There was something soft beneath him. Tsuzuki allowed his body to relax and pressed into the soft bed he was on, for that must be what he was rested on top of. Hisoka probably found him after Muraki retreated and brought him back to Meifu's hospital.  
  
A soft smile touched the corner of his lips as he took it easy on the soothing white sheets of the hospital bed. He could almost smell the fragrance from the sakura flowers outside the windows. Almost. What he could not smell was eagerly supplied by his over imaginative mind. He wondered whom would he see when he opened his eyes. Always, while he was unconscious and constrained to the bed, someone would sit waiting for him to wake up. Hisoka, Watari, and there were even a few times where it was the money grubbing Tatsumi that was dozing off in the corner, waiting for Tsuzuki to wake. Despite how Tatsumi and Hisoka sometimes gave him the cold shoulder, Tsuzuki knew he was loved within their small group of Shinigamis.  
  
The Shinigami sighed gratefully before he finally decided to open his eyes to look out at the world he now lived in. White washed walls met clear amethyst eyes. That much was still what he imagined, but the rest of the scene was awfully wrong. There were no pink sakura petals outside the window, nor were there any Shinigamis sitting in the room with him waiting for him to wake. The bed he was sleeping on was covered with black silks instead of the white clothed ones as he had imagined.  
  
But that was not the worst of it. Although there were no Shinigamis waiting for his rousing, there was someone sitting patiently a few feet from him. The man blended in with the room beautifully, yet his presence was still strangely out of place. So was his soft menacing smile and his partially narrowed eye.  
  
"Muraki..."  
  
"Tsuzuki-san, I'm glad you recovered so quickly." From his composed position sitting on the cushion backed chair, the doctor smiled and gracefully rose to a standing posture. "You had me worried there, when you fainted like that." The man began to walk near his victim like a large predator moving towards its trapped prey. Muraki slowly took his time to stroll up to the Shinigami. An icy smile that matched his pale skin lingered on his pale lips, giving the man an even colder aura.  
  
Tsuzuki bolted up into a sitting position from the bed he was laying on. Although there was probably not a lot of difference between sitting nor laying down when facing Muraki in his own terms, the older man still felt safer when he was sitting up. To further strengthen his believe, he tried to look bold and brave in front of his enemy as well. His health was fine and he did not feel as if anything was wrong beside the slight lightheadedness he felt as an aftereffect from fainting. That at least reassured him that nothing happened while he was out. So far it was good, but the Shinigami still found it unnerving how he currently sat in a bed somewhere far from his home and before him was a cold blooded killer.  
  
"You look so surprised to see me," the doctor said as he finished closing the few feet between his chair and the bed where his charming 'guest' was resting. His tone held hidden menace as he continued from where he stood by the mattress, "Do you know you almost killed me last time, Tsuzuki-san? Of course, you probably think it's a pity that I'm still alive, for Hisoka's sake."  
  
"For everyone's sake," Muraki caught Tsuzuki correcting under his breath before the amethyst eyed man loudly shouted, "Leave Hisoka out of this!" Despite his loud, brave words though, Tsuzuki still skirted to the head of the bed when the mad doctor decided to take a seat by the foot of it.   
  
Muraki noticed and could not help but to give a victorious smile.   
  
Looking composed and calm, the man by the end of the bed could indeed fool people into thinking he was a normal doctor as he pose himself to be, but Tsuzuki knew better than to be deceived by appearances. Muraki's single good eye gleamed with such anger and hatred at the moment that it was as strong as some of the demons Tsuzuki had faced in his number of years as Shinigami.  
  
An unnatural silence settled between the two of them as the two men studied one another. It was obvious that Muraki held the power between the two even though Tsuzuki was the undead one. Even Tsuzuki thought so, and as a way to even the odds, he reached into his inner coat pocket to retrieve a fuda. At least he could use his fuda spells while his Shikigamis are out of reach for him... or so he thought. Feeling around his padded pockets followed by a thorough search of his outer ones made Tsuzuki concede to something he did not want to admit, his fudas were gone.  
  
Thin lips stretched further to make Muraki's fake smile appear even faker. "Are you looking for those, Tsuzuki-san?" The cold man's right arm lifted and a pale hand at the end of his long arm pointed out to a small pile of rectangular paper residing on top of the round table at the far side of the room. Without even checking them up close, Tsuzuki recognized them to be his fudas. A lot of help they could be now that they rested on a table which was separated in between by Muraki.  
  
Almost completely stripped of his safeguarding spells, Tsuzuki finally comprehended the deep trouble he was in. He cannot protect himself against the black magic user, and he cannot count on other Shinigamis to rescue him, for he doubted even they knew where Muraki had hidden him.  
  
Unknowing of Tsuzuki's small crisis, or knowing and uncaring, the white clad man slid over on the bed, bringing him even closer to the Shinigami. Then, as sudden as the icy smile had appeared, the doctor was no longer smiling. The fact that Muraki was a cold hearted man, and the cruel smiles were just for a show, Tsuzuki had always known. But the thought never even crossed his mind that Muraki without them would actually appear to be more threatening and dangerous was possible. The leer that presently covered the doctor's features did little to help lift that impression.   
  
All of it, together with Muraki continuing his slow advance in cornering the lavender eyed man was enough to make Tsuzuki wince and recommence his backing up. The cold wooden backing that chilled his spine with its touch was only a too cruel reminder of how Tsuzuki had no where to run. 


	6. Fate

Author's Note: Even I can't remember when did I last post chapter 5. I guess chapter 6 is long overdue, huh? I hope the switching back and forth from the view point of the two characters isn't confusing anyone, even though the whole thing still takes place in third person. I appologize for this chapter being extra short, but it's an attempt to get me writing again. Depending on the response to this, I'll decide if there shall be more or if ends here.  
  
Chapter 6: Fate  
  
Acting on primitive instincts, the Shinigami slapped away the out of place surgeon's hand which was creeping steadily towards his face. Pale lavender eyes narrowed, then widened, when he realized the resistant blow that cracked his knuckles against the back of a human hand did little more than detain the mad doctor for a few seconds.  
  
Tsuzuki could feel the emotionless wood pressing against his chilly back, unyielding to neither push nor shove as he desperately tried to propel further backwards away from the man creeping towards him. He could feel the heels of his hands digging stubbornly into the silky black material covering the bed as he used that as leverage to fight against the backboard. As response, the chilly wood seeped coldness into him, through even the thick coat he had on. Tsuzuki's shoulders began shaking upon realizing this hopeless situation he seemed to be in. He was shivering, but it was from much more than the coldness of his body.   
  
Ready for the kill, Muraki bore down on his opponent, a previous powerful hunter that switched his role to become a hunted, and caught, in this particular case. Being the hunter now, Muraki thoroughly enjoyed himself as he pushed his body down over Tsuzuki's immortal one. He met the amethyst eyes of his victim squarely, fascinated by the change he fathomed in their depths. As if the trapped man slowly emerged from a trance, Muraki watched as the realization to struggle reached those eyes too late. Tsuzuki's efforts were quickly crushed when the surgeon's delicate yet powerful hands came in to seize the Shinigami's in a tight grasp.  
  
With the doctor's whole body's weight constricting his legs from moving, further paired with the strong arms holding his wrists up against the wall in an awkward position, Tsuzuki found himself truly pinned. He liked not one bit of it. Mentally, he swore at himself for the lax in his guard and the muddled thinking that cursedly delayed his reactions. If he thought his situation was bad before, he was seriously reconsidering that now.  
  
Try as he might, he could not summon the strength needed to shove away the man with the silver hair. The most powerful Shinigami in Meifu was currently pinned under his most hated enemy and had no way of freeing himself. First it was the cake store closing, then there was the series of deaths, now this. His streak of luck just went from bad to worse. Tsuzuki hated the feeling of helplessness, yet it was what he was feeling, so restricted as he was at the moment.  
  
"Let me go." He had meant that to sound like a command, but his voice grew weak and broke off half way to trail the end of the sentence into a simple request.  
  
And to requests, Muraki had every right to say no.  
  
"I don't think so, dear Tsuzuki-san." The smile that disappeared before returned to Muraki's mouth, accompanied by a shadow of wicked insanity in his glittering gray-blue eye.  
  
For a moment, the room was captured in a spell of silence. Nothing but the soft hitches of breath could be heard from both men. Hard breathing generated from the two extremities of terror inspired by fright and madness inspired by insanity. It was the sound of the hunter and the hunted, finally meeting and the chase being over.   
  
Though he tried to hide it, Tsuzuki's eyes showed those things, as did Muraki's but without the self added veil. And whatever Tsuzuki saw in that silver eye of Muraki's, it was beyond madness. He was able to read his own fate in that silver eye as clearly as a fortune tellers reading their crystal balls. And it frightened the Shinigami so much, that he finally broke down and screamed. 


	7. Abuse

Author's Notes: Wow, this chapter actually flowed pretty well. I haven't written in a long time too. A little R&R won't hurt!  
  
Chapter 7: Abused  
  
Something broke through. Muraki didn't know what did, but something obviously did to cause his captured guest to be screaming so frightfully. Not that he minded one bit. Although he would personally prefer it if Tsuzuki wouldn't create such a racket of unwanted noise, the doctor was also aware that no harm could be done even if the Shinigami screamed his head off. Unlike that other time when he had Hisoka captured and so foolishly allowed him to be rescued, the same mistake would not be repeated here.  
  
Eversince that day he was wounded and barely made it out of the laboratory alive, he had wasted a lot of time waiting for his body to heal. And there really was not an awful lot he could do while recovering aside from contemplating on revenge. So he spent his time formulating the perfect plan for it. It was because of the violet eyed Shinigami that he lost his perfect chance of gaining his revenge, no, lost all chance of gaining any revenge on his half brother Saki. Before the accident, Saki had been his main goal in life, to be able to revive and slay him. Yet now, because of Tsuzuki, that goal was gone, and Muraki had to find a new goal.  
  
By now, Tsuzuki had stopped screaming. The vengeful man thought perhaps the Shinigami finally realized how futile it was. The ruckus only tore down the comfortable silence. Nothing could be achieved other than a sore throat. Muraki wasn't sure if Shinigamis could get sore throats, but at the moment, he really didn't care.  
  
The doctor knew it sounded somewhat cliched, but he reasoned he should say the words to clear up misconceptions that may form in his captive's mind. "The screaming is quite useless. No one will come for you here, Tsuzuki-san." Despite no spoken response, Muraki knew Tsuzuki understood the truth of the statement. Some of the fire in Tsuzuki's eyes died a little with the words. "This place is sealed completely with a masking spell. No one will be able to find it without walking right into its walls."  
  
In response to the words, the Shinigami's slender fingers curled up on the bed and mercilessly tightened around the silky sheets below them. Unaware of the action himself, Tsuzuki began chewing on his normally puffy lower lip, something which the doctor found quite amusing. After the screaming, something snapped, and Tsuzuki had painfully realized his situation. What he previously saw in Muraki's eyes frightened him terribly, but those images had changed and he could no longer find them there, and as if it they were magicked, with the disappearance of them, so were the memories of them. It left within him great fear, and a hopelessness he desperately needed to get rid of.  
  
"Do we understand each other, Tsuzuki-san?" Muraki waited for the answer as he reviewed his plans. Unlike the Shinigamis, Muraki was still human and had to spend a lot of time before the stab wound had healed completely. It was a long time of waiting, and he sketched out his scheme for revenge then. It only included Tsuzuki, because beside the reason that it was he who foiled Muraki's plans, aside from Saki, Tsuzuki was the only other person he wanted for one reason or another. He had very carefully crafted out his ideas, knowing his target's strengths as well as weaknesses. It took long procedures, but he had one by one sealed off all of those strengths, and now, he will play hard on those weaknesses.  
  
"What... what do you want?" The Shinigami answered shakily. Unclenching his fists, Tsuzuki pushed his hands off the bed and attempted to shove Muraki away with them. It wasn't a really strong push, but it was all he could do to distant himself from the monster of a doctor. Being within a mile of the doctor was already too close for comfort, the current position was totally off the scale. He had realized unless he shoved Muraki away, there was no other method to increase the space between them. The headboard of the bed was not going to give, nor could Tsuzuki sink into the wall behind him.  
  
Muraki was prepared though. In a flash of movement, his own hands snatched out and caught the Shinigami's hands by their slender wrists. Slowly but surely, the human overpowered his prisoner until those hands were pinned right alongside to where Tsuzuki's head rested against the wooden backing. Naturally, to close the distance, Muraki moved forward and pinned the rest of Tsuzuki's legs with his body.   
  
With each movement, Tsuzuki's eyes widened slightly and more fear crept in. Muraki had no doubt the Shinigami was reminiscing their past encounters, and if he wasn't, the doctor was quite confident that Tsuzuki would soon.   
  
Finding his own position uncomfortable, Muraki shifted around until he straddled Tsuzuki's upper thighs with his legs. It felt more at ease than slithering all over the Shinigami, not to mention it made leaning forward easier. And he did just that, moving in ever so slightly until his pale face was right in front of the view of those fear clouded amethyst eyes.   
  
"I'm very upset with you, Tsuzuki-san." Knowing what he wanted, Muraki toned his voice carefully to make sure he could achieve that goal in the long run. For now, he allowed his voice to take on a scolding tone, no more than what a mother might use on a child who stole from the cookie jar. At the returning spark in those violet eyes, Muraki continued. "Your Touda flamed up my laboratory and destroyed something... someone very important to me."  
  
While momentarily distracted, Tsuzuki chewed his bottom lip again. He was trying hard to remember back to that day, and truth be told, he could not remember much. He was under Muraki's spell and saw everything in a warped haze. It was only near the end when he became more clear of what was happening around him, and that was when he summoned Touda. He did not recall seeing anyone else there beside Muraki and himself, though now that he thought hard about it, he seemed to recall a disembodied head. Tsuzuki's thoughts blinked back to his current situation. If that was the someone Muraki was talking about, the doctor was much sicker than he thought!  
  
Unaware of Tsuzuki's thoughts towards him, Muraki continued with what he was declaring. His scolding exterior slowly slipped away to reveal more of the anger and hatred he felt pent up inside. "Saki, my half brother... I've lived so long for my chance and you destroyed all my plans!" Getting wrapped up in his emotions, unwittingly, Muraki momentarily lost total command over himself and tightened his grip on Tsuzuki's wrists.   
  
The pain was still bearable at first. Tsuzuki merely thought Muraki was just threatening him, but soon it felt as if Muraki was attempting to shatter his wrists. A few seconds more of hoping Muraki would calm down and pain quickly became unbearable even to the Shinigami. A burning fire lanced down his arms, hurting so much that Tsuzuki can't even feel his hands anymore. Not caring if it would be displaying weakness to an enemy, he yelped loudly and attempted to toss his silver haired captor off him before his wrists broke. Even with a Shinigami's speedy healing, pain was still pain.   
  
Although none of those actions dislodged the iron grip, they were still able to do their designated job. At the first sign of struggling, Muraki jolted out of his angry state and back into his composed mind frame. The realization of the brown haired man was being hurt came shortly after and was quickly followed by the liberation of those wrists. Muraki had no desire to allow his hands to remain idle for long though. As soon as Tsuzuki's hands dropped tiredly back to the Shinigami's side, he placed his left hand onto Tsuzuki's coated right shoulder and used the other hand to cup his captive's narrow chin.  
  
Even before Muraki made his next move, Tsuzuki could predict it and began struggling. "NO!" he shouted out futilely. First shaking free of the grip Muraki had on his chin, he followed it by trying to toss the other man off him. In the face of the impending danger, his memory lapsed over his fear to allow him some struggling strength. Though it seems hardly possible, Tsuzuki was physically weaker than the human and was easily over powered by a forearm pressed up against his throat.  
  
"Don't do that again, Tsuzuki-san," Muraki leaned himself closer to the purple eyed angel of death to whisper the last words, "And no one will get hurt..." With a speed so fast that it could match a striking cobra's, Muraki took Tsuzuki by surprise and brutally bit down into Tsuzuki's lower lip. A burst of coppery flavor sprayed into Muraki's open mouth and he drank it all in.  
  
And Tsuzuki couldn't do anything with a pinned body and nearly broken wrists. All he could do was watch with wide eyed horror. 


	8. Guilt

Author's Note: I want to thank a certain friend who kept encouraging me to continue this story. If it wasn't for her, I really don't know when would there be any new chapters. Thank you, you know who you are.  
  
Chapter 8: Guilt  
  
[This must be a dream! No, this must be a nightmare! It's the cakes. I haven't had one for too long... It....]  
  
Reality was not so. Tsuzuki knew it even before he refocused on the face less than an inch from his. He wasn't trapped in some sugar-free induced nightmare, this was reality. The room, the bed, and the mad doctor were all part of this horrible reality. If he was trapped in a nightmare, then he had fallen asleep for years on end, for his whole life had been one big nightmare.  
  
Tsuzuki was only barely aware of Muraki having finished tearing into his tender lip and had now stepped up to pluder his unresponsive mouth. Muraki obviously cared little for Tsuzuki's pleasure. The invading tongue made rough swipes inside the moist cavern of Tsuzuki's mouth. Each flick was deliberate and movement was and brutal enough to leave behind forming bruises.   
  
While the doctor took his pleasure by force, the Shinigami did his best to hold back his own tongue. Just from the disgusting feel which the invader left along his teeth and over lips, he had the violent urge to vomit. He distrusts his own ability to hold back the urge if he was forced to taste the slime on that invader and experience the ripple of that rugged thing.  
  
The victim whimpered and attempted to pull back. He would have attempted to push Muraki away again, but his wrists were still distributing pain freely down both of his arms. If he was in better humor, he would have wished they were a tiny bit more like Tatsumi and be greedy of their pain.  
  
When Muraki finally backed off a bit to allow them both some breathing space, Tsuzuki couldn't hold back. Seeming to completely ignore the doctor straddled around his legs, he instantly turned over to the side of the bed and gagged. Lucky for Muraki, his heaves were dry and when the insisting urge passed, Tsuzuki's upper body collapsed onto the bed like fallen animal's. Muraki, watching from where he sat as a spectator, found the whole thing more amusing than upsetting.  
  
Around then, the doctor's attitude changed once again. If Tsuzuki was still attempting to read Muraki's behavior and plans through his attitudes, this calm and slightly entertained one was surely throwing him off. The silver haired man had intentions he meant to be left hidden against the one still so innocent. Like how he had an impression that Tsuzuki would be remembering that time they met on the Queen Cameria, he also had the impression that the innocent would not remain so for long.   
  
In an almost gentle gesture, Muraki helped and righted Tsuzuki until the Shinigami once more rested with his back against the end of the bed. He wasn't concerned about the comfort of the other though, he merely wished to make it easier to get the violet eyed one off guard. Tsuzuki looked back at him uneasily and stiffling a soft whimper. Affected somehow, Muraki's pale hand stretched out and in the same nearly gentle way he helped Tsuzuki up, he placed a hand on Tsuzuki's chin and pulled the Shinigami to him.  
  
"You know," Muraki's tone was soft, but the Shinigami could feel his skin prickling and the hair at the back of his head rising. No, he didn't know what the doctor wanted to say, but he knew already he wouldn't like it. He liked neither calculating tone of voice the doctor was using, nor the glimmer that kept glistening in the doctor's single good eye. "Those victims all died because of you, Tsuzuki-san."  
  
Of all the things he was prepared to hear Muraki say, including even an absurd vow of love or maybe a declamation of revenge, this existed as the one he was least prepared to hear. "No!" In spite of his surprise and want for denial, the word came out as a breathless whisper. Deep inside, he knew it was true. Like all the other people who died for him in the past, these were no exception. They died because he failed somehow. Prior to this, he was already condemning himself as the one responsible for those deaths, but his imprisonment simply sidetracked him from those thoughts. Now that they were confirmed, his guilt bubbled right to the surface and blinded him to all else.  
  
"No..." Tsuzuki's last attempt to refute what he was already convinced was right trailed off to the beginning of a sob. So when Muraki leaned closer to softly whisper "Yes," into Tsuzuki's ear, the Shinigami started crying.  
  
Muraki wasn't going to stop there though. He was far from finished. "They all died because they had to be sacrificed for you," he continued, whispering the words right into Tsuzuki's ear. The Shinigami raised his hands to cover his face as the tears ran down from his amethyst eyes. To Muraki, the the sounds Tsuzuki made while crying were among some of the sweetest sounds he had ever heard.  
  
Taking advantage of his position, Muraki placed his hands on Tsuzuki's shoulders and pressed down to keep the Shinigami in place while his tongue flicked out to gingerly taste the ear he was whispering into. The skin was smooth and Tsuzuki tasted just like how he always knew it would be, sweet. He thought he might have felt a faint shudder from his victim, but it was difficult to discern if it originated from the sobs.   
  
"So many died for you, Asato Tsuzuki," Muraki continued on cruelly. This time, he was certain that the shaking he perceived was caused by him.  
  
Tsuzuki quivered. His name felt vile on Muraki's tongue, but somehow, that seemed right. Wasn't he a vile thing? People died around him. He tried and tried, but in the end, it was always the same. Things weren't so different back when he was alive either. Even when he was simply a child, people still died needlessly because of him. In his eyes, his hands were just as stained with blood as Muraki's.  
  
The pale man smiled thinly. His hands slowly began to remove the trench Tsuzuki still had on. There was rather no use for the coat. The abode Muraki brought the two of them to was quite warm. Those deadly hands of the surgeon carefully slid the black material down past the shoulders. However, he was moderately surprised when the man who had sworn to be his enemy made no resistance. He also noticed Tsuzuki's sobs were less harsh by now. Somewhat pleased by the two things combined, Muraki sat back and said the next words softly, in the same tone he had used earlier, like a scolding mother, "You deserve to be punished, Asato."  
  
Ever since Tsuzuki woke up, Muraki had started pushing buttons. He knew his Shinigami well, and he knew the combination of buttons he pushed would surely circle around, if not break down completely, any defense his victim may have left. So confidently, he waited.  
  
For a long while, there was no response. Even Tsuzuki's last sob had waned seconds ago. When Muraki was about to think he won't get any reaction from the weaker man, Tsuzuki began to lower his hands, revealing his face once more. Aside from the telltale tear stains all over those fine features, the normal brightness and the sunshine effect in those clear eyes had faded to a ghost of what they were. They were now puffy and red, containing no more than an echoing spark of light struggling in the darkness of his pupils.  
  
The silence continued to stretch as Tsuzuki mechanically removed the rest of his trench coat. Muraki watched with an almost gleeful expression in his eye as the trench coat was removed to reveal the working suit and tie Tsuzuki normally wore.  
  
The smile Muraki displayed next spoke of evil intent, but Tsuzuki couldn't see through his own guilt to realize it. Letting silent tears roll, he went along as Muraki slowly took his suit jacket off, leaving his torso clothed with only in his white dress shirt and black tie. "You deserve whatever I'm going to do to you," he could hear the sadistic doctor say. He didn't struggle because he agreed. For whatever the doctor could do to him, it can't nearly be enough to make up for all the dead lives he has on his conscience.  
  
Before he knew it, his black tie came off and Muraki was slowly but effectively binding his hands with it. Like with everything else, Tsuzuki didn't struggle. Instead, with sorrowful eyes filled with defeat, he viewed the man before him and waited with a despairing heart for his punishment. 


	9. The Start of Punishment

Author's Note: I think I had the most trouble with this chapter out of all other chapters. Why? I think you've all noticed how I've been stretching out the story with Tsuzuki's imprisonment a bit long than needed for what was going to happen, but in truth, I've been doing that to avoid what this chapter is leading up to. It's my first time, everybody, so please don't kill me if it's written terribly.  
  
Chapter 9: The Start of Punishment  
  
Muraki observed the bound Tsuzuki mirthfully. It was quite a pleasant sight in the way that Tsuzuki was bound with his own silk tie. For Muraki, this was a very nice turn of their relationship. It would appear the now docile Tsuzuki was willingly submitting to anything Muraki wanted to do. If Muraki was a better man, he would pity the Shinigami and let him free, but he wasn't. He enjoyed the situation immensely.  
  
With focused but dimmed eyes, Tsuzuki looked and waited patiently for the doctor to begin. The doctor had made his intentions clear that night on the Queen Cameria after he won the game in poker. If it wasn't Hisoka, Tsuzuki's body would already belong to Muraki. Now that Tsuzuki thought about it, he should have realized nothing could hold Muraki off forever. It might as well happen today. It would serve the purpose of punishing him well. Punishments were about not wanting something, wasn't it? And the last thing he would willingly do was... this.  
  
Reminiscing back to the that ship brought up the thought of his partner. Where was the younger Shinigami now? Even in his situation, Tsuzuki was still hoping Hisoka wouldn't be too worried, not realizing how absurd that thought should be.  
  
Having drank in enough of the sight of the trapped Shinigami with his hands bound before him, Muraki decided it was time to move on. Convinced there was no more fight left in the Shinigami, the doctor allowed himself the leisure of time to slowly begin the process of removing the bottom half of Tsuzuki's clothing. The Shinigami wasn't exactly naked from waste up, but Muraki liked the look of him still dressed in his white dress shirt more.  
  
A few more glances at Tsuzuki made the doctor decide he would enjoy the look of the Shinigami ruffled more. Already, there was a bruise forming at the corner of the amethyst eyed man's mouth. Unable to find the patience to deal with number of buttons on the expensive looking dress shirt Tsuzuki had on, Muraki chose the quick way out.  
  
The sound of buttons popping startled Tsuzuki as much as the action they generated from did. The deed made Tsuzuki start thinking again. He shouldn't be here, he should be getting out of here. Who knows what Muraki will do... He quickly reevaluated his situation and came to the decision he should try and get way from the doctor after all.  
  
As if waking from a dazed dream to realize the danger he was in, Tsuzuki jerked himself back, causing the doctor to lose his grip on Tsuzuki's shirt collar. He was about to break away when Muraki's words stopped him cold. "Where do you think you're going, Asato?" Tsuzuki could feel Muraki's hand brushing gently across his cheek. "This is what you deserve..." And the gentle brush turned into a stinging slap.  
  
For reasons more than pain, the bright purple eyes began welling with tears again. He knew Muraki was right though. This was the punishment he deserved, he can't run away from it. He made up his mind, and with his decision made, Tsuzuki calmed down somewhat.  
  
Satisfied that his interest was no longer going to attempt futile escape ploys, Muraki relaxed and recommenced with what he had left off doing. Tsuzuki looked so beauteous that he was almost edible. The Shinigami's eyes were bright from the unshed tears, swirling with the suppressed hurt they contained. The one side Muraki had slapped him had also started to turn red to give that side of the face a blush like hue. And, not to mention, the front of Tsuzuki's shirt was ripped down halfway to reveal a span of creamy pale chest.  
  
Grinning fiercely, Muraki reached out and pinched the one nipple that poked out of the ripped shirt. The ensuing gasp from the other man was absolutely musical. From his good eye, Muraki could see the Shinigami had squeezed his eyes shut, causing the gathered tears to finally spill over and trail down the old stains on his face.   
  
The doctor was unable to resist the temptation. Tweaking the nipple in his fingers sharply, Muraki took advantage of the mouth opening to gasp to slip in a dominating kiss. He ran his tongue over the contours of the teeth before he pushed the muscle forward to seek out the Shinigami's tongue. Upon finding it, he forced it to entwine with his and ignored the quick gasp the other man made.  
  
Tsuzuki shook with revulsion from the feel of a man's tongue gliding over his own. Especially this man's tongue. He would rather it was sandpaper instead. On instinct, he drew it to as far back as possible and hoped Muraki would give it a rest. The pale doctor didn't seem to deprecate though. He simply dragged his tongue over the roof of Tsuzuki's mouth and finished the kiss.  
  
The hand patted the swollen nipple and left it to map the rest of Tsuzuki's chest. "Very sweet, Asato." Stopping the mapping at Tsuzuki's soft whimper, Muraki smiled and drew his hand back. It was time to move on and finish the job he started.  
  
From where he was straddled on Tsuzuki's legs, Muraki moved up onto his knees and smiled at the other man. He carefully kept his attention on those amethyst orbs while he maneuvered his hands down to Tsuzuki's belt. With the nimble fingers of a surgeon, he undid the belt buckle which kept Tsuzuki's pants up. He allowed his fingers to linger there for a bit longer before he drew his hand back, but not before brushing the soft mound at the crotch. "Remove your pants, Asato," he softly commanded.  
  
Tsuzuki looked up dumbly at him. He thought he just had to endure this, not contribute to it as well. Yet, he didn't complain. This was his punishment, there was no point in complaining if he agreed to it himself. With a soft resigned sigh, he lifted his wrists and drew Muraki's attention to his bound wrists. He couldn't remove his pants with his hands bound.  
  
"Keep them tied," the doctor answered with an amused expression.  
  
Tsuzuki looked at him once more before beginning to fumble with his dress pants. Trying to undo the buttons with his hands tied made very interesting business. He could barely see what he was doing since the tie that bound his hands was always in the line of his vision. The zipper was a bit easier, but the wriggling out part was immensely difficult even when Muraki had gotten off him.  
  
Taking this chance, Muraki got up and removed his white coat to hang on the coat hanger near the doorway. When that was done, he glanced over at Tsuzuki to see he was almost out. The silent tears Tsuzuki was once again shedding did not go beneath his notice, but he did ignore them. Deciding to give the Shinigami a bit more time, Muraki went over to the table by the window and removed his glasses. They were folded neatly before being placed on the wooden surface. By then, Tsuzuki had finished and Muraki moved back over to the bed.   
  
Watching the other man once more, Muraki dipped his hands down and rested them against Tsuzuki's inner thighs. He noticed the wincing and the quelled attempts of moving from the Shinigami, but there was nothing else beside those. He thought his victim was behaving towards this rather well, especially with the events looming in the horizon being obvious. Slowly, the doctor pushed Tsuzuki's legs apart until there was a space wide enough for him to settle down in their embrace. Satisfied when there was, Muraki climbed back onto the crumbled black silk and positioned himself in front of the Shinigami's manhood.  
  
Meeting those amethyst orbs once more, Muraki smiled gently with a secretive intent and began caressing the barely clothed mound with the back of his hand. It was a joy to watch how Tsuzuki scrunched his face up in an attempt to repel at whatever he felt. "You don't enjoy this, Asato?"  
  
Muraki knew the answer was obvious, but he waited until Tsuzuki rapidly shook his head before continuing. In order to move onto the next stage of this little game, he thought it might be wise to get some concepts settled right now. It would make it all the more pleasurable when they were flipped upside down before the Shinigami's helpless eyes. As if confirming Tsuzuki's earlier thoughts, the doctor went on. "That is why this is your punishment." He turned his hand around and rubbed the clothed manhood with his palm until he felt it go semi erect. Only when it was obscenely tenting the Tsuzuki's underwear did Muraki stop his hand. "This is what you don't want."  
  
An involuntary whimper was drawn from Tsuzuki's battered lips when Muraki suppressed his hand movements. Thought soft the sound was, it was enough to bring a slight smile to the doctor's pale lips. They were progressing well. Of course, it may be better if Tsuzuki was willingly participating, but this method made his revenge all the more complete. 


End file.
